Matthew Stafford embracing an offseason of change

The Lions haven’t had any consistent measure of success, but quarterback Matthew Stafford also hadn’t had to learn a new offense until this year.

But with coach Jim Schwartz replaced by Jim Caldwell, Stafford’s offseason has changed, and he hopes the results will too.

“I think I’ve embraced it,” Stafford said, via Mike O’Hara of the team’s official website. “It’s something that is obviously a challenge. I don’t see this as something that I’m on this path by myself, but at the same time, I know the guys on the team are going to look up to me.

“You never want to see coaches go, or people you’ve been with five-plus years, [backup quarterback] Shaun Hill included. But sometimes change can be a great thing. That’s the mindset I’ve taken into this.

“Frankly, to be successful after the changes, that’s the only mind-set you can have.“

The Lions added weapons to an already potent offense this offseason, with Golden Tate and first-round tight end Eric Ebron joining an already good mix.

So Stafford knows the pressure is on him more than ever, to prevent the kind of collapse (losing six of their last seven) that led to the wholesale changes.

“We know not only the significance for our season, our team and our livelihoods,” Stafford said. “But for the city, we knew what it would mean. Absolutely, we knew it.

“It wasn’t easy going through it, that’s for sure, but I think coming out of it on the other side we’ll be better for it.

“It was tough . . . not only for me personally but for our team.”

Losing players and coaches he was close to had to be tough for Stafford, but the remarkable losing was tougher, which is reason enough to welcome Caldwell.

It sounds good, but this team hasn’t ever embraced change towards ideal winning results before, so it’s awkward to say that without delving into why this team wasn’t able to figure out how to make those changes at any other point in the last several decades. Can he or somebody explain exactly why there is confidence that we have a serious attitude towards wanting to change things for the better and why the fans should have confidence in this new attempt at change?

cruzer1996 says:Jul 14, 2014 10:55 AM

Already good mix? Megatron was pretty much it from the receivers, and he had hand/knee injuries that made it hard for him to produce at 100%. They are still thin, hopefully Tate can stay healthy, because they don’t have much speed besides those two on the outside, unless Corey Fuller comes up big.

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Please translate. I thought you either embraced it or not. If he doesn’t know, that’s troublesome.

doctorrustbelt says:Jul 14, 2014 10:57 AM

Hey Calvinthegoof,

I wonder if Jay Cutler is better because he has TREMENDOUS PASS CATCHERS like All-Pro Brandon Marshall, Pro Bowl Alshon Jeffery, Martellus Bennett, and Pro Bowl Matt Forte… and… all Stafford has is Calvin Johnson (.. and Reggie Bush when he isn’t injured).

“So Stafford knows the pressure is on him more than ever, to prevent the kind of collapse (losing six of their last seven) that led to the wholesale changes.”
And
“Nobody impacted the collapse more in 2013 than Stafford. If he makes better decisions in the 4th quarter this is a 12 win team. If not, they struggle to win 8.”

Detroit has a defensive squad too; I seem to recall that more than once they bore some responsibility for those collapses
.
And to vikesr4real: “Sanford will grab his chest and embrace the suck”. This discussion is about Matt Stafford – not sure who Sanford is. No malice intended by this comment – Redd Foxx used to have a funny and raunchy TV show called “Sanford and Son”. I hadn’t thought of that show in years, so thanks.

“Nobody impacted the collapse more in 2013 than Stafford. If he makes better decisions in the 4th quarter this is a 12 win team. If not, they struggle to win 8.”

(from Office Space) Um, yea… I’m going to have to go ahead and disagree with you…

While Stafford’s play didn’t help, the main reason for two seasons of nearly identical collapses were the coaching staff. They did not know how to make adjustments and our team was 100% predictable. Teams had us figured out and that’s a recipe for failure in the NFL.